Cook County demolition bonds.
$100 flat.
Cook County requires a demolition contractor to post a $20,000 surety bond before the Department of Building and Zoning will issue a permit to demolish a structure of three stories or less — a taller structure, four stories or more, steps up to a $40,000 bond instead. Ours is $100 flat — the price you see is the checkout price. The bond issues the moment you pay — a soft credit pull at most, never a hard inquiry.
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Three steps. One sitting.
A demolition bond filing is about the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no credit section.
Pay & e-sign
Registration bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
File with Building and Zoning
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email in original form, ready to file with the Cook County Department of Building and Zoning alongside your demolition permit application and the County Clerk's $2 recording fee. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Cook County's Department of Building and Zoning conditions a demolition permit on a surety bond sized to the structure's height — $20,000 for a structure of three stories or less, stepping up to $40,000 for anything taller. The bond indemnifies the County against losses, costs, damages, or liabilities arising out of the demolition work, and the County requires an original signed bond plus a $2 recording fee payable to the County Clerk with every filing.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and Cook County (the obligee), with the County and nearby property owners as the protected parties. If demolition work causes damage the permit requirement is meant to guard against — an unsafe teardown, debris left on adjoining property, an unrestored site — a harmed party can recover against the bond up to the $20,000 penal sum.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Confirm the story count on your specific structure before you apply: a four-story-or-taller building needs the County's $40,000 demolition bond instead of this one.
You need this bond if you're
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — no credit section, because this application doesn't collect credit information.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Clear your Cook County demolition permit today.
$100 flat, soft pull only, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.